FC United of Manchester
FC United of Manchester
FC United of Manchester

Board member George Baker to run the London Marathon for the Development Fund

FC United Board member, George Baker has courageously – and some would say stupidly – agreed to run the London Marathon on Sunday 22 April 2018 to raise money for FC United’s Development Fund and we hope you will sponsor him whatever you can.

George, who had never run further than to the nearest off licence until recently, has decided he wants to get fit this year, so we thought he could raise a few quid for the club in the process so that we can continue to deliver numerous fantastic community projects – and host the odd football match - from our home at Broadhurst Park.

Make no mistake about it, George is attempting a challenge so momentous that if he achieves his David versus Goliath battle and crosses the Finish Line within the permitted eight hour time limit it will undoubtedly rank as one of the biggest sporting upsets of all time.

Other than seeing off hundreds of chocolate bars in the 1980s, this is George’s first ever marathon - a gruelling 26.2 miles which should only be attempted by regular runners and foolhardy part-timers who are prepared to go through the pain barrier to raise money for good causes.

George said: “I’ve agreed to run this year’s London Marathon at ridiculously short notice in order to raise money for FC United’s Development Fund.

“FC United does a hell of a lot of good work in the communities of Moston and North Manchester. This includes coaching in local schools, continuing our partnership with junior football club Moston Juniors, running our academy and regular collections for food banks, refugees and Manchester’s homeless.

“January’s Big Coat Day, hosted before a recent home game, was the 12th year in a row that fans and well-wishers donated and collected warm clothing to distribute to the homeless. This was only a couple of weeks after we opened our ground to the homeless of Manchester on Christmas Day for the second year in a row.

“Until this year, I’d never ran so much as a 5K before so please spur me on by donating to my fundraising page so FC United can continue their great work. I hope to run the London Marathon in under six hours but I’ll be over the moon if I just manage to complete the course fast enough to receive an official time! Every donation big and small is very much appreciated.”

Please sponsor George and we’ll bring your regular updates on his training regime and progress, so that you can follow him every step of the way, from the comfort of your armchair.